Shocking compromises ahead of Pakistan's elections. Most of the mainstream political parties entered into some sort of arrangements or understanding with members of extremist groups to avoid “attrition and minimize competition.”

Pakistan will go to polls on July 25 to elect a new parliament. Analyst Ikram Sehgal predicts that former cricket star Imran Khan's PTI party may win about 100 parliamentary seats, way short of the magic number of 172. Imran may well win the battle but without coming close to 110 PTI seats, he may well lose the war.

Instead of making the elections controversial and adding to Pakistan’s problems, elections should be deferred with consultations among all stakeholders. This delay will also allow elongation of the Senate’s life for a short time.

Increased political activity suggests a hint of elections in Pakistan, maybe only 6-9 months away. The incumbent PML (N) may emerge as the party with most seats after electoral reforms and early elections but could lose its absolute dominance in Punjab.

While 2013 was marred by natural disaster, violence, increasing conservatism and poor economic trends, it should be remembered as the year that democracy was consolidated in Pakistan. Historically, Pakistan has swung between democracy and military rule. Since independence in 1947, Pakistan has been ruled by the military on three occasions and for a period totaling over half of the country’s …